


The drugs don't work

by Shadowverve



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Homeless, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, But there'll be a lot of pain along the way, Consensual Underage Sex, Drug Withdrawal, Drugs, F/M, HEA Guaranteed, Han and Leia are trying their best, Homeless teenagers AU, Horny Teenagers, Huddling For Warmth, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Loneliness, Lonely Ben Solo, Lonely Rey (Star Wars), Minor Leia Organa/Han Solo, My First Fanfic, Please go easy on me!, Rey Needs A Hug (Star Wars), Sharing Body Heat, Smoking, Teenage Rebellion, Underage Drinking, Underage Drug Use, Underage Smoking, hopefully it'll be worth it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-24 03:13:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30065778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowverve/pseuds/Shadowverve
Summary: Seventeen year old Ben Solo had his whole life ahead of him, but a few bad decisions, a drug habit and a broken relationship with his parents landed him on the streets.All Rey ever wanted was a family, a roof over her head and a warm bed, but she's long since given up on that dream.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 24
Kudos: 40





	1. World so cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben's unfortunate journey from high school to homelessness.

Cold.

That was all Ben Solo really felt, these days, an ever-present chill on his skin, bones and heart.

He weakly stumbled into a dark, damp, abandoned alleyway, before practically collapsing to the ground. He quickly shrugged an old, frayed backpack off of his shoulders and took it in his hands, shivering from both the cold and his own excitement as his weak, shaky hands struggled to unzip it.

After what felt like years, he clumsily pulled out a belt, a near-empty, disposable water bottle, a cigarette lighter, a syringe, a spoon, some alcohol swabs, and finally, a small, clear bag containing a thick, tar-like, brownish-white powder. He gazed reverently at the powder, silently begging it to whisk him away from here, wherever "here" was. 

Ben opened the clear bag and fumbled around for the spoon, before shaking out some of the powder, causing it to land on said spoon. He sealed the bag and returned it to his backpack for safekeeping, before taking the water bottle in his hand and staring at it, his eyes full of conflict and worry. He was thirsty. So very thirsty, but he only had a few drops left. Carefully, he poured a tiny amount of water onto the spoon, before instantly pulling the bottle to his mouth and desperately drinking the remaining drops of precious water. He tapped the bottom, pleading with any god that would listen to spare him just a few more drops, but they didn't listen. They never listened.

He dejectedly tossed the bottle to the side, wanting nothing more than to just curl in on himself and cry, but he'd feel okay in a minute, he knew he would. Focused solely on chasing the high before him, Ben scrambled for his lighter and pulled it up to the spoon, hypnotized while watching the flame cause the powder to melt and bubble as it was liquefied. Not wanting to waste any more time, he rolled up his sleeve and impatiently grabbed the belt- tying it around his forearm and biting down on it as he frantically tapped at his skin, desperate for a vein to appear. When one did, he could've screamed in joy, had he the energy.

With nothing else left to do, Ben pulled the beautiful, golden-brown syrup into the syringe, his hands shivering in anticipation as he pulled the belt tighter and bit down harder, before finally injecting his hit, closing his eyes as he did so.

With the last moments of his semi-lucidity, Ben quickly opened the alcohol swabs and began wiping down the spoon, syringe and lighter, before hastily dumping all of his paraphernalia back into the backpack. With one alcohol swab left out for his arm, he began disinfecting the point of injection. 

As he wiped at his forearm, his movements abruptly slowed, his eyelids became heavy and his mind was wrapped in a strange, yet pleasant haze.

"Oh, fuck yes...", Ben murmured in ecstasy as he slumped against the wall, before slowly sliding down until he found himself lying on the ground.

Ben was floating. He didn't know where to, but he was just contentedly floating along amongst the clouds. The stars were so beautiful, in fact, everything was beautiful. Suddenly, the chilling atmosphere evaporated, and he was warm! He felt so safe, like a baby, wrapped up in a soft blanket as he fell asleep in his mother's arms.

As Ben drifted in and out of consciousness, he hardly even knew where he was, who he was, what he was, when he was, or why he was, but that was okay. Maybe it was easier that way.

Minutes, or maybe even hours passed as Ben just drifted, and drifted, and drifted, but eventually, his blissful reverie wore off, and he came crashing back down to Earth.

Ben groaned, with the simple act of opening his eyes having become utterly excruciating. He tried to sit up, but could hardly feel his arms, while his legs, back, and stomach all ached to an unbearable degree. After finally managing to prop himself up against the wall, it became clear to Ben that he had a horrible, burning fever, while simultaneously being chilled by the cold once again. 

Reality all came rushing back to Ben at once. It was the dead of night in the middle of winter, and he was sleeping rough in a town he didn't know, yet again, and he still hadn't been stabbed to death or rescued by his parents. Whichever came first, he'd welcome. He still couldn't believe he'd ended up like this, so he did everything in his power to avoid thinking about how things used to be and could've been, but it was impossible.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He'd been the only child of Leia Organa, a former Senator, and Han Solo, her renegade husband whose chequered past had gotten her embroiled in more scandals than enough. His uncle, Luke Skywalker was a well respected cop, like his father Anakin before him. Growing up, Ben's family earned him the jealousy of many of his classmates, which the boy couldn't help but resent. Kids would flock around him, wanting to be his friends, but it became abundantly clear that they didn't want to be his friends at all, they just wanted a chance to go to his house, play with all the latest toys and play the newest video games, but when they got their fill, they'd never speak to him again and act like they'd never known him in the first place.

Being the son of Leia Organa and the grandson of Padme' Amidala meant that from the moment he was able to read and write, Ben faced immense academic pressure in school, with teachers never failing to remind him of what he had to live up to. Naturally, this only got worse as he approached his teen years, with some teachers going so far as to taunt him with his father's history. Any of his achievements would be written off and attributed to his prestigious background, while any of his shortcomings would be deemed unacceptable for that very same reason.

Despite none of the pressure coming from them personally, Ben couldn't help but resent his parents, and their ceaseless arguing didn't help either. For as long as he could remember, Han and Leia had argued over the smallest, most insignificant things, to the point where they'd often seem to forget what they were even arguing for in the first place. Like many kids, Ben blamed himself for his parents' disagreements, but unlike other kids, the feeling only worsened as he got older, and despite all of his grievances with them, he genuinely loved his parents, and the idea of them separating was his worst nightmare.

High school was when things got really bad. Everyone else had their cliques, with many students having boyfriends and girlfriends, but Ben was still on his own.

That's when he met Armitage Hux.

The boy was an insufferable, arrogant, snobby know-it-all, and Ben couldn't stand him. Still, nobody else had ever payed any attention to him before, so Ben felt obligated to tolerate him. Just being associated with Hux proved to be a bad idea however, seeing as it led to far more detentions and run-ins with teachers than he'd ever had before- causing his parents and uncle to worry, which only increased the friction Ben had with them.

Eventually, Hux introduced a very reluctant Ben to some of his loosely-defined "friends." Vicrul, Cardo, Ushar, Trudgen, Kuruk, and Ap'lek, all of whom had been suspended multiple times and were on the verge of expulsion, with Vicrul and Ap'lek even having criminal records. The group seemingly took an interest in the young Solo, constantly showing up where he least expected them and forming a sort of unwanted protective circle around him, but Ben was far too afraid to tell them to back off. Just being seen with the delinquents was enough for most teachers to fully give up on Ben.

At this point, his new friends began offering him cigarettes and alcohol, which he initially refused, but the stress from his worsening reputation at school and the constant comparisons to his parents caused the temptation to grow, and one day after a particularly cruel comment from a teacher, Ben succumbed. He hadn't particularly enjoyed his first cigarette and beer, but the buzz he'd got afterwards was remarkably pleasant, and he kept coming back for more.

One night, Ben had come home clearly drunk, with his parents immediately taking notice and voicing their concerns, which spiraled into a huge argument that ended with him punching a wall in his frustration and breaking three knuckles. The ride home from the hospital was the most awkward experience of Ben's life- it was completely silent, and he detected no anger from his parents, only disappointment and concern. He'd never felt like such a failure.

After this, Ben began spending more time with his friends, which led to them introducing him to harder drugs, passing him a small, clear bag of cocaine, which he promised himself he wouldn't take. However, that same night, Kuruk and Ushar robbed a store at knifepoint, prompting the rest of the group to run- leaving only Ben behind without a second thought. When the Police car arrived, none other than Luke Skywalker exited it, and the disappointed, yet pitying gaze he eyed his wayward nephew with was enough for Ben to burst into tears. Luke knew Ben, and was confident that he wasn't responsible for the crime, but he was just heavily intoxicated in the wrong place at the wrong time. He begged and pleaded to be let go, paralyzed with fear as he was escorted into the Police car. Luke made one thing very clear- Ben was lucky that it was him that found him and not anyone else.

Ben couldn't even meet his mother's gaze as she answered the door with tears in her eyes and profusely apologized to Luke for wasting his time. In his room that night, Ben could clearly hear his parents screaming at each other over his arrest, with Leia baselessly trying to blame the whole thing on Han. In that moment, Ben felt like more of a burden and a waste of space than ever. Feeling completely hopeless, he pulled the little bag out of his coat, opened it, slowly and shakily brought it up to his nose, before finally snorting it. He felt the arguing fade away and was suddenly very confident and remarkably pleased with himself.

Despite their previous betrayal, Ben came crawling back to the delinquents who got him into that mess in the first place. What had started with the occasional cigarette and beer evolved into binge drinking, then weed, then cocaine.

Before Ben knew it, he was addicted to heroin.

As the days turned into weeks and weeks into months, the group began talking more and more about a man named Snoke, and even in his perpetually dosed-up daze, Ben knew the name was vaguely familiar to him. Eventually, it clicked.

Long before Ben was even born, a crime boss by the name of Sheev Palpatine ruled the criminal underbellies of many cities with an iron fist, and Anakin Skywalker had devoted much of his career to bringing him to justice. At some point however, Anakin ended up on Palpatine's payroll, feeding him information about the Police department in exchange for his family's safety. When Luke grew up to take on the same career as his father, he discovered his betrayal, but managed to convince his father to come clean and and admit the truth. Anakin revealed everything he knew about Palpatine's criminal empire, which led to both men being arrested, but with Anakin being granted a much more lenient sentence. Unfortunately, Anakin was murdered shortly after, but Luke was never able to prove it, and all records claim he "disappeared". With Palpatine behind bars, one of his cronies by the name of Snoke seized control of all of his assets.

Ben realized far too late that Hux had set him up. He was involved with a gang.

The young Solo was utterly terrified, and desperately wanted to tell his parents about the situation he'd ended up in, but he didn't want to put them in danger. Still, Leia was remarkably observant, and could tell that her son had come home in an even worse state than usual that night. Ben was exhausted and could hardly keep his eyes open, yet he was fidgety, shaking, sweating, and crying. Leia tried talking to her son, comforting him and attempting to calm him down, but Ben was totally incapable of holding a rational conversation.

During his agitated pacing around the room, a small bag of heroin fell out of Ben's pocket, and Leia got to it first. She begged her son to tell her it wasn't what she thought it was, but he couldn't, and when she turned away to get rid of it, Ben aggressively snatched it back, clutching it to his chest and growling at his mother like a wild animal. Han rushed into the room to restrain his son, but Ben frantically kicked and elbowed his father until he dropped him. Through tears, Leia pleaded with Ben, begging him to let them help him. 

The thought of any kind of "help" terrified Ben, and he backed away in fear, staring at his parents as if they were two total strangers, before sprinting out the front door, with Han giving chase. Eventually, Han lost sight of Ben, and after looking everywhere for him, returned home to Leia, and instead of arguing like they normal did, they simply embraced without a word, weeping for their missing son.

Ben ran, and ran, and ran, but eventually, the gang he'd become afflicted with found him. The six delinquents that had claimed to be his friends beat him within an inch of his life, and left him for dead. Ben crawled to his feet after being left alone and resumed his aimless wandering, blacking out repeatedly as he did so. Eventually, he woke up dazed, confused, and alone on a train, before being swiftly thrown out. Ben looked around, utterly lost as he found himself in an unfamiliar area with nowhere to go and nobody to turn to. He stumbled to a street corner, before collapsing and crying himself to sleep. The boy was utterly helpless, and dozens of people passed him by, yet none such much as glanced at him, unwilling to acknowledge his existence.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Weeks, or even months passed, and Ben's thoughts took him back to the present day. After reliving everything yet again, Ben couldn't help but burst into tears. There were many kids that slept rough on the streets, but unlike them, Ben had a home, a bed to sleep in, an education, and parents who loved him, all of which he'd left behind, and for what? He'd been a straight-A student, and now he had to depend on the kindness of strangers just to be able to eat. He was emaciated, looking quite literally like a shell of the boy he should've been, and had nothing to his name except the old clothes he was wearing, his frayed backpack containing his paraphernalia, a packet of cigarettes, and the tattered parka that was currently wrapped around him like a makeshift blanket. He wanted nothing more than to call his parents, just to tell them how much he loved them and how sorry he was, but of course, he'd sold his phone to fund his drug habit. His life was completely miserable, and the only thing that could comfort him was the very thing that got him in this mess in the first place.

In between his own broken, self-loathing sobbing, Ben swore he heard a series of soft, quiet, feminine sobs. Whoever the cries belonged to sounded utterly lost, broken, and defeated, like they'd given up on life and finding any sort of happiness in it. For reasons Ben couldn't explain, he felt an irresistible pull to the sound. Maybe he'd become so horribly lonely that he didn't even consider how dangerous it could be, or maybe it was because the quiet wails of grief echoed his own heartache so perfectly.

Either way, Ben forced himself to his feet with a groan of extreme, painful effort, and on shaky, unsteady legs, headed in the direction of the crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fanfic and I'm fucking TERRIFIED! But this idea was in my head for far too long, and I knew I had to get it out there. I just hope I can do it justice, or at the very least, inspire somebody more talented to do something similar.


	2. The meeting place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wild Rey appears!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got WAY darker than I expected! TW for discussion of previous underage prostitution, rape and Pedophilia.

Ben kept walking, allowing the enigmatic cries to guide him as he traversed the surprisingly intricate network of seedy back-allies. Rats, pigeons and seagulls hissed and squawked at each other as they fought to the death over solid chunks floating in puddles of vomit, and as appalling as the sight was, Ben could hardly differentiate it from the behavior of the humans that frequented this hellhole. He'd quickly learned to keep to himself, especially at night, yet right now, he was deliberately seeking out another.

As the sound he'd been tracking reached its crescendo, Ben turned a corner into a shady side street, one that gave him a perfect view of the main road and sidewalk, people driving along and getting on with their lives as if the world was normal, as if life was fair.

That wasn't what caught his attention, however, as towards the end of the street, a girl sat curled in on herself- arms wrapped around her legs and her head hanging low. She wasn't wearing much, clad only in a tiny, inappropriately provocative black dress, covered by a baggy, oversized t-shirt in an attempt to preserve her modesty. Her brown hair was tangled and caught in on itself, as if it had previously been tied up, but came halfway loose and she hadn't bothered to fix it. She had perfect, pink, pouty lips, big, wide doe eyes, and a light dusting of freckles all over her skin. The remnants of her mascara had liquefied as a result of her crying, causing her face to be stained with black tears. She was young. Too young, no older than Ben.

That thought infuriated him. This girl was somebody's daughter, and here she was on the streets, fending for herself. He could now hear that she wasn't only crying, but also shivering with cold and whimpering in fear.

But most of all, Ben couldn't believe how beautiful she was.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Ben approached, the girl either didn't take him under her notice, or was too caught up in her own sorrow to even care. "Hey", he whispered softly as he sat down beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder in order to get her attention, a gesture that would prove itself to be a huge mistake.

The girl screamed in pure horror, frantically spinning around to face Ben, and in the blink of an eye, she pulled out a flick knife- springing it into action and pointing it accusingly at his chest.

"FUCK OFF!", she hissed viciously in her heavy British accent, a trait that might've been appealing to Ben, had she not been glaring at him with pure murder in her eyes, "I won't let you hurt me!", she continued, her arm shaking and lip wavering as she held the knife as threateningly as she possibly could.

Terrified, Ben raised both hands in surrender, his wide, worried eyes silently begging for his life. "It's okay, just relax, I'm not gonna hurt you...", he murmured slowly as he attempted to feign confidence and tranquility, while in reality being just as frightened of his potential murderer as she was of him, "Please, just put down the knife", he begged as his own eyes filled with fresh tears, "Please..."

"That's what you all say!", she growled in response, "What would you do if I dropped the knife? Rape me against the wall, maybe? Have your fun and then leave me behind without even paying me for my trouble?", she accused acidly, "What do you take me for?"

Ben could hear the blood in his ears rushing as pure rage and adrenaline took over, "What do you take ME for?!", he roared, the fear of death and the delicacy of the situation all but forgotten as he leaned forward, allowing himself to menacingly loom over the girl as she gazed up and attempted to back away from him, fear replacing her previous anger and spite. "How fucking DARE you accuse me of something so vile, so evil!", he spat, before slamming his fist into the wall with all his fury, which prompted the girl to yelp in terror, dropping the knife in the process.

As Ben nursed his fist with his other hand and panted wildly, his anger slowly evaporating, the girl made herself as small as possible, burying her face in her hands as she sobbed. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry", she whispered, "I'll do whatever you want, just, please, please don't hurt me!", she sobbed pathetically.

Upon seeing this, Ben was unable to stop himself from crying too. It was clear to him now that her outburst hadn't been personal, and he felt horribly guilty for taking it to heart. He'd done this to her, and the thought of making such a pretty little creature cry made him even more miserable than he'd been previously.

"What? No, no, no, I don't want you to do anything", he promised as he scooted closer to her, instinctively reaching to put his arm around her, but abruptly pulling it back upon remembering where that got him last time, "I just... I heard you crying and I don't know why, but... I just couldn't leave you on your own..."

She raised her head slightly as she wiped away some stray tears, daring to look at the boy before her. He looked tired, dirty and broken just like her, with big, expressive eyes that looked at her with genuine care and worry. She couldn't remember the last time somebody looked at her like that. He was beautiful. She knew in her heart then and there that he wasn't going to hurt her, but the last time she'd trusted somebody, it had come back to bite her, and she'd learned never to do it again.

"You heard me crying?", she asked with a watery, humorless, sarcastic laugh, "You must be new around here, mate, you look out for anyone else, you'll end up dead."

There it was again, that damn accent. Now that she wasn't pointing a knife at him, Ben could safely say that he liked it. He liked it a lot, and being called "mate" caused his cheeks to heat up.

"Well I'm sorry, I just wanted to help!", Ben grumbled as he shrugged off his threadbare coat, holding it out to the girl, "Take it, please. You must be cold."

She blushed profusely at the kind, selfless offer, but was determined to keep up her tough, standoffish persona. " I don't need your help, you probably need mine", she sighed in exasperation, "I think I can handle myself", she scoffed.

"That's why I'm giving this to you", he replied as he inched closer.

Giving up, she surrendered to the temptation of letting somebody else take care of her, just this once. He was so gentle as he slid the coat up over her arms, before slowly zipping it up and individually closing each button for her. Ben blushed as his hands ghosted past her breasts, but frowned upon realizing that even that made her flinch. Their breath warmed each other up, and neither lost soul would dare look the other in the eye.

The girl then curled in on herself, snuggling the coat and basking in the remaining body heat, before closing her eyes and inhaling its scent. It smelt of sweat, rain and nicotine, but most of all, it smelt like him. This kind, naïve, handsome stranger who put himself in harm's way just to protect her. The thought made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and she was unable to help sighing contentedly, while simultaneously feeling horrendously guilty for her earlier judgment of him.

Seeing the girl close her eyes while adorably murmuring and purring into his coat went straight to Ben's cock, and he awkwardly shifted his legs to make the bulge less obvious. He should've been colder without the coat, but the sight in front of him made him feel so warm that he didn't even notice.

"What's your name?", she asked him abruptly, knowing that she was crossing a line and breaking her golden rule of never getting attached to anyone, but he'd been so kind, and his coat was so warm, and deep down, she just didn't want to be alone anymore.

"Ben Solo", he replied with a blush, unable to keep a stupid, toothy grin off of his face as he extended a hand to her.

"Hi", she whispered with a blush and a small, shy smile of her own as she gently shook his large hand with her smaller one, holding onto it for far longer than necessary. "I'm Rey", she offered, "Just Rey", she finished, a hint of regret and wistfulness lacing her features upon admitting she had no surname.

"Hey", Ben offered, his smile radiant. His brain practically short circuited as Rey continued holding his hand, but he didn't miss her flash of sadness upon admitting that she had no surname, and seeing her sad made him sad, too. Had she always been an orphan? Or had she been abandoned so long ago that she couldn't even remember her own name? Ben didn't claim to know her story, but no explanation could make her situation any less tragic, and he simply squeezed her hand in an attempt to comfort her.

Rey was unable to stop herself from blushing. He was just too cute, and that little chipped tooth was utterly adorable to her, not to mention the way he squeezed her hand caused her stomach to do cartwheels. Despite herself, despite everything she'd learned the hard way, she began to lean further into him.

With his free hand, Ben began rummaging through his pocket, before producing a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. "Want a cig?", he asked casually, opening the packet and holding one out to Rey.

"Okay", she murmured, waiting patiently with her lips parted, before Ben gently slid it into her mouth and slowly lit the end. Her eyes rolled up in her head and she let out a blissful little moan as the nicotine flooded her system, making everything even fuzzier. Nobody had ever lit a cigarette for her before. Such a simple gesture, but it made her feel like royalty. She wrapped her dainty little fingers around the cigarette and took a long, slow drag, before blowing the smoke out in a contented sigh, with some of it blowing over Ben's face, while the rest floated up into the air.

"So, Ben, what's your story?", she asked, looking up at him inquisitively. "How did such a sweet, kind, innocent thing end up here?"

Rey's pleasured little moan and eye roll was the hottest thing Ben had ever experienced, and he was left with no choice but to cross his legs. He was stunned by how positive an opinion Rey seemed to have of him, and the sight of her smoking drove him utterly insane, her plush, pink lips milky with smoke, sent his mind spiraling to places it’d never been before but he simply shook his head, ran a hand through his hair, and exhaled exhaustedly. "I don't wanna talk about it, it's a long story...", he sighed.

Rey just looked remarkably amused at his answer as she gazed up at him through her lashes while taking another drag. "You have anything better to do?", she asked teasingly, punctuating her sentence by flicking the ashes of the cigarette, before holding it out to Ben, offering him a hit.

"No, I guess not", he sighed, leaning in to take the cigarette from her, taking a long, deep drag before shakily exhaling. "I come from quite a... let's say... prestigious family", he began, with Rey listening attentively. "Certain things were... expected from me growing up, and I couldn't always deliver. Whenever I'd do well in school, it was because of my family, whenever I fucked up, I was a disgrace to my family. Nobody ever saw me for me, I was just a legacy", he ranted, taking another quick puff from the cigarette before handing it back to Rey, who took it in her shaky fingers. "None of the other kids ever wanted to be my friends, they just wanted my parents' money, and as I got older, the same was true for girls. After that, I got involved with the wrong crowd, and they got me hooked on just about every drug under the sun", he added miserably. "My parents offered to get me "help", and that frightened me, so I ran away", he whispered. "I might get mad at my parents, but deep down, I know it's not their fault. I miss them...", he murmured, with tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. "Alright, Rey, what about you?", Ben asked, how did you get here?"

Rey just sat there, puffing on the cigarette with tears streaming down her face, Ben's story clearly having a profound impact on her. A faint wave of resentment for him having ran away from a loving home bubbled up in her, but it was immediately squashed by the overwhelming sympathy she felt for him. "Fair enough", she groaned in defeat, "We moved here when I was really young, and when I was about eight, my parents left me here and fucked off back to London!", she exclaimed with a miserable, sarcastic laugh, before taking another hit from the cigarette to calm her frayed nerves, all the while Ben looked on, utterly horrified at the thought of somebody leaving this precious creature behind. "Ever since they left, I've always had to work just to afford food, and ever since I've grown a pair of tits... men have only wanted me for one thing...", she shivered, looking away from Ben in shame. "It's horrible, they're always so rough with me, but I can't turn down the opportunity for food and a roof over my head for an hour or two, even if it's just to be used as a cheap toy...", she whimpered. "Some of the looks I get... old ladies refusing to look me in the eye, mothers pulling their kids away from me... girls our age glaring at me", she whispered miserably, tossing away the remains of the cigarette. "I'm sorry, Ben. I'm so sorry for going mental on you earlier", she cried, " It wasn't personal, it's just... nobody has ever been so kind to me before, and... I can't understand why anybody would be", she admitted, before turning to face Ben, revealing her red, tear-streaked face. "Thank you, Ben", she offered, taking his hands in her own as her lip wavered, "Thank you so much for showing me that not all men are disgusting scumbags", she continued, tightening her grip on his hands in a doomed attempt to keep her composure. "Thank you for being the first person to see me as anything other than the little whore I am!", she wailed in anguish, a lifetime of pain, abuse and betrayal pouring out of her as she threw her arms around Ben- burying her head into his chest as her small frame was wracked with sobs.

Ben immediately wrapped the broken, traumatized girl in his arms, her story having reduced him to a blubbering, sobbing mess as he held her. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I had no idea", he cried, not even realizing that he'd called her the pet name that his father always gave his mother, it just came so naturally. "I'm so sorry for yelling, I didn't mean to frighten you, I'd never hurt you", he vowed, before taking her face in his hands, causing her to flinch briefly, before settling into his touch. It had become clear to Ben that Rey didn't hate physical contact, she was just scared, but had become so desperate for it that she was risking getting burned just to feel warm, and the thought of how long it had been since anyone had touched her without hurting her made his heart shatter into a million pieces. It just made him want to be even gentler with her, to treat her with the tenderness and love that she so clearly craved. "Never, ever call yourself that again", Ben stated, his voice suddenly stern and uncompromising, "You're so much more than that, Rey."

"It's okay... it's okay", Rey soothed between her own cries as she began gently rubbing Ben's back, "You're too pure for this world", she laughed weakly as fatigue crept into her, and Ben's chest seemed like the perfect pillow. His words made her cheeks heat up once more, and for once, she dared to let herself think that maybe she was more than that.

Ben was similarly running out of energy, and slowly maneuvered himself backwards so he'd be lying on the cold, hard pavement, giving Rey enough time to come down with him, and she melted into his chest, sighing in pleasure as she snuggled under his chin, drowning in his coat and basking in the simple joy of being so close to him as he enveloped her in his arms.

"I don't care if it's dangerous, if anything happened to you, I'd never forgive myself", Ben admitted, "Stay with me, please", he begged, "Let's stick together."

“Okay", Rey croaked hopefully, blushing furiously and pushing her many insecurities to the side. It’s wasn't the time nor the place for such thoughts, so instead she focused on Ben- his warm breath, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, the way he felt beneath her, so firm and accommodating in spite of his frail, emaciated frame, the way that his arms effortlessly wrapped around the entirety of her body. She’d never felt this safe before in her entire life and it scared her. The pain that could come from something like that, whatever this thing was between them. Regardless, she sighed in contentment, unable to believe that someone was willing to look after her, and more shocking still, the fact that she was willing to look after someone else in return.

"Aren't you afraid I'll slit your throat and steal your gear?", Rey teased, looking up at Ben and hoping to lighten the mood before sleep took them.

"You wouldn't", Ben grinned confidently.

"No, I wouldn't", she smiled contentedly in return, before frowning again. "I've always been so alone."

Feeling bold, Ben leaned down slightly, closed his eyes, and pressed a gentle, lingering, loving kiss on Rey's forehead. "You're not alone", he murmured quietly, but with more confidence and authority behind it than anything said previously in his young life.

Rey just smiled sleepily, before giving him a quick peck on the cheek, causing both to blush. "Neither are you."

The pair then closed their eyes as they held each other tightly, with Ben wishing for Rey's sake that they were on a bed, or at the very least a couch, but they had each other, and that's what mattered.

The soft, gentle, yet protective way that Ben held her made Rey forget about all of the abuse she'd suffered, at least for a little while, and the warmth and comfort Ben got from holding Rey was better than that of any drug he'd ever taken.

Within seconds, the pair were asleep, both wearing small, yet peaceful little smiles on their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Thank you so, so, SO MUCH for the response to chapter 1! It's so overwhelming (and frankly, fucking terrifying!) I'm just a lonely, depressed 18 year old with no direction in life and way too much time on his hands, yet no energy to do anything with it. I'm not worthy of all this love!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first fanfic, and I'm fucking terrified! But this idea has been in my head for far too long now, and I truly hope I can do it justice, or at the very least inspire somebody more talented to do something similar.


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